The most terrifying images are the ones that are real.
A newlywed couple Ben and Jane move to Japan for a promising job opportunity - a fashion shoot in Tokyo. During their trip on a dark forest road they experience a tragic car accident, leading to the death of a young local girl. Upon regaining consciousness, they find no trace of her body. A bit distraught the couple arrives in Tokyo to begin their new life. Meanwhile Ben begins noticing strange white blurs in many of his fashion shoot photographs. Jane believes that the blurs are actually spirit photography of the dead girl who they hit on the road, and that she may be seeking vengeance.
Genre(s): Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Runtime: 85 minutes
Rating: 4.8/10 (8,516 votes)
Release Date: 19 March 2008
Country: USA
Languages: English, Japanese
Company: Regency Enterprises
Sound: Dolby Digital, DTS
MPAA: Rated PG-13 for terror, disturbing images, sexual content and language.
Director(s): Masayuki Ochiai
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Producer(s):
Paiboon Damrongchaitham - co-producer
Boosaba Daoruang - co-producer
Doug Davison - producer
Gloria Fan - executive producer
Satoshi Fukushima - line producer
Richard Guay - associate producer
Takashige Ichise - producer
Roy Lee - producer
Sonny Mallhi - executive producer
Arnon Milchan - executive producer
Visute Poolvoralaks - co-producer
Yodphet Sudsawad - co-producer
Writer(s):
Luke Dawson - (screenplay)
Banjong Pisanthanakun - (2004 movie) uncredited &
Sopon Sukdapisit - (2004 movie) uncredited &
Parkpoom Wongpoom - (2004 movie) uncredited
Cast:
Joshua Jackson - Benjamin Shaw
Rachael Taylor - Jane Shaw
Megumi Okina - Megumi Tanaka
David Denman - Bruno
John Hensley - Adam
Maya Hazen - Seiko Nakamura
James Kyson Lee - Ritsuo
Yoshiko Miyazaki - Akiko
Kei Yamamoto - Murase
Daisy Betts - Natasha
Music: Nathan Barr
Paiboon Damrongchaitham - co-producer
Boosaba Daoruang - co-producer
Doug Davison - producer
Gloria Fan - executive producer
Satoshi Fukushima - line producer
Richard Guay - associate producer
Takashige Ichise - producer
Roy Lee - producer
Sonny Mallhi - executive producer
Arnon Milchan - executive producer
Visute Poolvoralaks - co-producer
Yodphet Sudsawad - co-producer
Writer(s):
Luke Dawson - (screenplay)
Banjong Pisanthanakun - (2004 movie) uncredited &
Sopon Sukdapisit - (2004 movie) uncredited &
Parkpoom Wongpoom - (2004 movie) uncredited
Cast:
Joshua Jackson - Benjamin Shaw
Rachael Taylor - Jane Shaw
Megumi Okina - Megumi Tanaka
David Denman - Bruno
John Hensley - Adam
Maya Hazen - Seiko Nakamura
James Kyson Lee - Ritsuo
Yoshiko Miyazaki - Akiko
Kei Yamamoto - Murase
Daisy Betts - Natasha
Music: Nathan Barr
Posted on: March 3, 2008
January 29th, 2009
This is a remake of a good Thai horror movie that was released back in2004. I really enjoyed the original movie and I recommend it toeveryone. Why did they need to do a remake of a movie that was releasedonly 4 years ago? Did they think they can improve it in some way? Notonly did they not improve it, they made it worse than the original inmany ways. The brilliant music and sounds from the original are gone,the ghost is less scary, is shown more often, and it seems lessmenacing (at one step the ghost is even singing!), the acting is worse,and the characters are less believable than in the original.
The producers introduced a few new elements hoping to make the moviemore scary, but in fact they made it more disgusting (the flies forexample). The original movie was full of clichés, but this one is evenmore so. The most brilliant part of the original movie was the ending.In the remake, they simply copied every scene from the last part of themovie, but with less talent and less impressive results.
So, I return to my original question: why did they need to do a remake?What was the problem with the original movie released only 4 yearsbefore this one? The fact that the main actors were Asians and thatthey didn't speak English? Or more likely, the fact that Hollywood,which is apparently all out of ideas, couldn't let a good story fly bythem without them making money out of it?
February 14th, 2009
Unfortunately, I took seriously all the gushing comments about howShutter (2004) was "the best thing since The Ring" and out of curiositywatched it back to back with the remake. The only thing fans of theoriginal got right is how dismally bad the remake is.
Shutter (2004) would have been a lot of fun in the 1980s, and I canunderstand why kids and people new to the genre like it so much, butthere's not much here for those more experienced in the genre — Asianhorror, or horror in general. It's not a bad movie, but I've seen thesame story so many times in earlier, lesser-known Asian horror moviesthat it didn't do anything for me. The scares are all textbookroutines; again, done well, but done so many times before they're nevera surprise. I put off seeing this for years because it sounded sogeneric, and it turned out I was right. That said, it's a masterpiececompared to the remake.
Shutter (2008) is so poorly written and plotted that it could only havebeen made in-house by studio wonks who don't have to go through theslightest quality control regarding scripts or production skills to getthe green light on a film project. Shutter (2008) would have insultedme as a moviegoer even if it weren't a remake. The characters areweakly written and performed (this should be a career-ender for JoshuaJackson), and the special effects are so cheesy they're embarrassingrather than scary.
Now I see why this new version makes fans of the original so angry. I'mnot even a fan of the original, but I found it frustrating that theremake ineptly ignores the only story-telling hook that made theoriginal good enough to watch in the first place. Then it goes on toparrot some of the original plot points while skipping others that makethem contextually relevant. The result is a jumble of pointlessness. Noone involved in the making of this film had any idea what they weredoing.
Verdict:
Shutter (2004) was a decent movie, but nothing special, and has littleto offer more experienced moviegoers who'll find it rather dull.Shutter (2008) is an insult, not to the original, but to themovie-going public that studio execs must think are tasteless imbecileswho will watch whatever crap they're given.
February 21st, 2009
Ah…I have to fill in ten lines to make my comment when the titlesummary says it all.
It's a movie which is the same in many others, but set in Japan orChina or some Asian country.
The secondary story about a magazine publication defrauding pictures ofspirits was a bit more entertaining than the first story.
Maybe on Shutter 2 the writers will construct something that is builtaround the magazine company.
Right now I'm at a loss for words as what to write.
I've watched 20 movies in 3 days and now I'm just filling space.
This was OK…not overwhelmingly scary, but the lead actress was prettyhot and thats where my vote goes to.
March 1st, 2009
since it seems every year, Hollywood makes a ghost movie set in Japan.Plus it seems the same female ghost stars in all of them. In thisstory, newlyweds Ben and Jane, move to Tokyo. Ben has lived and workedthere before. He is a photographer. One night, they run over a girl inthe road and crash. When they wake up, there is no sign of the girl inthe road. It doesn't take long for Jane to think they are beinghaunted. Also, spirit flashes show up in the pictures Ben takes. WhatJane doesn't know is that Ben knows more about the girl then he isletting on. Soon, Ben's 2 friends become victims, but why were theysingled out. It's pretty easy to guess.
This movie is written poorly. It's very predictable, using the usualscare tactics. The one cool thing was the film's explanation for thepain in Ben's neck. Watch to find out.
FINAL VERDICT: Nothing great. I guess it's OK to watch if you thinkJoshua Jackson is hot. He's pretty good looking in this.
March 4th, 2009
***SPOILERS*** Remake of the Japanese movie of the same name "Shutter"has to do with this just happily married American couple Ben & JaneShaw, Jashua Jackson & Rachael Taylor, who's trip to Japan, where Benlanded a job as a top fashion photographer, turned into a nightmare.
Driving on a dark country road with Jane at the wheel the couple's carstruck this young woman who seems to have materialized out of thin air.With the police at the scene finding no body, after Ben & Jane's carsmashed into a nearby tree, it becomes apparent to Ben at least thathis wife, from the all night driving, was just hallucinating when shethought that she struck the young woman. It wasn't until a number ofphoto's that Ben took of Jane and himself with Mount Fuji as a backdropthat it became evident that the woman wasn't a figment of Jane'simagination at all! she was real! Real enough to somehow be able to getherself into the pictures and make her imprint on them!
Later when Ben does his photo shoot for Japan's top fashion magazinethe photos come out blurred with this white eerie ghostly streakrunning through them. Jane knowing that there's something very strangeabout Ben's ruined photo's notices on one of them that the streakpoints to the TGK building in downtown Tokyo where Ben, before he mether, used to work! Going inside the building to take Polaroids Janenotices a photo hanging on the wall in one of the offices that has agroup photo with the mysterious woman in it! The woman, Megumi Tanaka,turns out to be a former employee of the TGK building and the person,who's name is printed on the back of it, who took the photo isnon-other then her husband Ben Shaw!
***SPOILER ALERT*** I takes a while for the film "Shutter" to get tothe point of its story with Ben, who acted as if he was totally unawareof Megumi existence, knowing a lot more then he lead on to. Ben havinghad a affair with Megumi, before he met his future wife Jane, and thenbreaking it off drove the sensitive young woman to to suffer a seriousmental breakdown. Trying to get Megumi, who was constantly stalkinghim, off his back Ben tried to blackmail her by getting his twoAmerican friends in Tokyo Bruno & Adam, David Denman & John Hensley, toget Megumi stoned, on wine mixed with sleeping pills, and have themphotographed, by Ben, having sex with her. As it later turned out thisattempt at blackmailing Megumi would soon lead to both murder andsuicide to everyone involved with the exception of Ben Shaw. Megmi hadsomething very special in store for Ben which in his case death wouldhave been a much welcome relief!
Nowhere as good as the Japanese version the film "Shutter" is stillworth watching not only because its gorgeous photography of theJapanese countryside and the city of Tokyo but it's unexpected and outof left field surprise ending. It's then when Jane finally finds outwhat Ben has been hiding from her, in regards to Megumi, and checks outon him before the "shutter", a wall photo of herself, clicks open andshuts down on her!
March 22nd, 2009
This is not going to be a review of the American version of SHUTTER perse, but rather a comparison to the Thai original. A short one. Theconcept is flawed right out of the gate–why Japan? Because of theJapanese director? Japanese co-funding? Either way, the story justdoesn't hold well in its Japanese reincarnation.
The producers simply should've booked the writers/directors of theoriginal; the new guy although Asian, has come up with a very generichorror remake.
His pace is wrong, the casting isn't very convincing either. Theediting is below mediocre, and the cinematography only so-so. Oh andeven the score is a big fat cliché on its own.
Whereas the original is really solid and takes its time, slowlybuilding the plot, but not for a second letting you off the hook.Another thing–the Ghost here simply isn't scary, she's sort of bland.And the extreme creepiness of the final twist here is done completelywrong.
A triumph of mediocrity, this remake. And this is probably mildly put.